A Secret Gift

How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression

By: Ted Gup

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered cash gifts to seventy-five families in distress. Readers were asked to send letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author’s grandfather, Sam Stone, was inspired to place this ad and help his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever endure.

Moved by the stories of suffering and hope in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase seventy-five years later, Ted Gup first set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives to flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that B. Virdot’s gift had on each family.

But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable-retiree persona he’d always shown his grandson. Gup solves a singular family mystery even as he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression.

The Story of My Hometown Before Me

As a businessman whose company barely, and perhaps should not have, survived the Great Recession of 2007 - 2010+, I could feel some kinship to many of the stories told by some of the people in this narrative, but I most likely would have passed on listening this book had the setting been different. The fact that these stories took place in my hometown of Canton, Ohio made it impossible to not listen to it. I am so glad I did not miss this book. For a Canton native it is a must to hear the stories of strife and struggle of our city before, during and after the Great Depression. I know for a fact that my parents, as young pre teens in Canton during these times, went through the same struggles as those who wrote the letters contained in this history of the city. I grew hearing a few a the stories of depression and subsequent war years and going to bed without food for supper. We as kids, as contrast, never went to bed hungry as my parents vowed to always have food in the house and on the table. Their memories of their childhood in the early years must have driven them to make this so. So for me this story was poignant on numerous levels that, before reading this wonderland book, I did not take the time to appreciate. This book will give you pause for reflection of your own fortunes and trials and probably mist up your eyes more than once, especially if you hail from this northeastern Ohio steel town.

okay

Interesting story line, but I was bored in spots! I wouldn't recommend it! Great idea for the depression times

Such a GOOD BOOK

There is so much to this true story! It really makes you think about the Depression and the difficulties many people had and the way history played out. Loved this book!

WONDERFUL!!!

This was an incredible find!! I enjoyed listening to the story told by the proud Grandson of a very generous man.

Very nice gift. No expectation of public praise.

Where does A Secret Gift rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better ones.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting thing to me was how Sam needed to remake himself in order for his compassion to emerge. The least interesting was some of the stories where the author went out further into extended family than I found compelling or useful.

Have you listened to any of Mark Deaking’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, No, but the grim lives of the devastated hard working people,as told in each story brought to life in me, a baby boomer, a more realistic appreciation for the struggles for survival faced by average Americans.
It also made more real how possible economic collapse is in the U.S.A. can be. These thoughts are slowly sinking in.

Any additional comments?

No